'I'm A Celeb' Medic Reveals Why Contestants Wear Red Socks

I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here is due to make a welcome return to our screens on Sunday, and I don't know about you, but this is right up there with a visit from the Coca-Cola truck when it comes to kicking off the festive season. I don't feel like it's truly Christmas until I've had a mince pie (which I don't even like) and watched one of the country's most beloved former sports stars chowing down on a camel bollock. 'Tis the season.

Credit: ITV/I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

The full line-up was revealed earlier this week, with Amir Khan, Jennie McAlpine (better known as Fizz off Corrie), Georgia Toffolo from Made in Chelsea, Dennis Wise and Boris Johnson's dad, Stanley, all flying off to the Aussie jungle to live off meagre rations and take part in horrific challenges - which sounds quite similar to how I will be living between now and payday, also.

If you clocked the official photos of the campers you might have spotted the rather fetching red socks they've all got on. There's nothing new, the celebs wear these every year, but it's not just to provide a bit of a uniform for the stars. Nope, it's actually a bit more disgusting than that.

Georgia Toffolo from Made in Chelsea. Credit: ITV

According to the show's on-site medic, Bob, the cast are made to wear the signature red socks to hide any blood spatters that might be on there thanks to the jungle's collection of blood-sucking insects.

Bob told Women's Own that the bright red colour helps ensure that the cameras don't pick up the gross blood stains. And Bob's got a bit of task on his hands, he works seven days a week to make sure the contestants are kept safe and sound, and while the crew make sure that one of the world's most deadly spiders - the Australian funnel web - is kept out of the camp, there's still seven deadly snakes in the jungle where the show is filmed. Fuck that.

Every year, the show breeds 2.5 million meal worms, 250,000 cockroaches, 153,000 crickets, 500 rats, 400 spiders and 30 snakes. And that's not including the bugs and beasties which live in the jungle at any time.

Claire Reid

Claire Reid is a journalist at LADbible. Claire graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a BA in journalism. She’s previously worked at Trinity Mirror. Since joining LADbible, Claire has worked on pieces for the UOKM8? mental health campaign, the Yemen crisis, life in the Calais Jungle as well as a profile of a man who is turning himself into a cyborg.

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